Higher Certificate In Game Design and Development NQF5
SAQA ID: 101608, 120 Credits, NQF 5
Applied Digital Arts 101:
- This module covers the foundational practices, principles, and theory of digital art surrounding the environment of game design. The purpose of this module is to enable the students to communicate visually by applying various design elements and techniques that are informed by standard industry practices. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of design and application of artistic brushes using Adobe© Photoshop and Illustrator. Students will learn the basics of UI/UX Design, 2D Animation and Game Level Design. Students will begin to develops fundamental skills in pixel art and digital painting for game design.
3D Modelling and Animation 101:
- This module covers the foundational practices, principles, and theory of animation and 3D modelling surrounding the environment in game design. The purpose of this module is to enable the students to effectively create 3D assets as well as apply animation theory that is informed by standard industry practices. Students will create and animate objects in the Blender© software.
Contemporary Game Theory 101:
- In this module, students will learn the workflows of game design from concept to publishing. Students will learn about game mechanics and develop puzzle building skills. Students will also learn to analyse different kinds of games and reflect on game design principles over different genres. Finally, students will learn about the game marketplace and the commercial requirements of managing a game development project.
Game Design Practice 101:
- In this module, students will integrate the skills they have learned in other modules and incorporate it into the Unity© Real Time 3D Game Engine. Students will learn all the core skills and tools needed to create their own 2D or 3D games using the Unity game engine. Students will be expected to complete relevant in-class assignments. Elements like 3D models, 2D art, scripts (coding) and audio is controlled in the Unity engine. Students will produce, edit and test a series of games in this module.
Game Development & Scripting 101:
- In this module, students will learn how to write code in C# to bring their Unity© games to life. Students will learn the fundamentals of the language and the Unity API. This module will teach logical and creative thinking. Students will be expected to complete relevant in-class assignments and homework. GDS is the module in which students build the game logic for every interactable element in their game. Students learn syntax of C# and practice different ways of achieving their goals (programming AI, movement, sounds and animations). This module is integrated with the Game Design Practice 101 module and they are co-requisites.
Audio for Game Design 101::
- Audio for Game Design 101 teaches students the basics of audio design for game environments. Starting with Reaper©, students will learn how to record and manipulate sounds, or transform existing sounds. Students will learn to incorporate music from game music libraries into their games using the Wwise© audio middleware. This module is integrated with the Game Design Practice 101 module and they are co-requisites.